Undercover Princess
by ThisIsCharles
Summary: Young Yuki Hiro has just transferred to Ouran, but this young new student hides a secret...
1. Once Upon A Time

**{Undercover Princess}**

_.::Round and round the garden goes the teddy bear... One step, two step, what will he find there?::._

* * *

Chapter 1} **Once Upon a Time **

-By Charles-

**

* * *

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"Hello?" a lone, melodic voice rang out into the empty room that was the Third Music Room of Ouran Academy, a prestigious school meant almost exclusively for the rich and the powerful. A slim youth shut the door behind him as his long chocolate tresses moved lazily with the movement.

Being new was hard for the beautiful Yuki Hiro. He'd always looked like a girl and it hadn't helped that when his father had died over 10 years ago, his mother, grief-stricken, had decided to bring him up as one, enrolling him in dance, singing, acting, art and cooking classes at a young age and insisting on rather... feminine clothing. He couldn't remember ever playing a real team sport and for as long as he could remember he had had the long chocolate brown waves and large, almond shaped blue eyes that had earned him so many gender confusions by teachers, friends and even sometimes family. Now, at the age of 16, Yuki was a rather conflicted boy.

No, he was sure of his identity as both boy Yuki and girl Yuki, but he certainly wasn't sure which way to go now that he had started at a new school. Was he to act like a girl, or become a man?

For the time being he decided to... decide later. Dressed in shorts, hoodie and sneakers he could be anyone and that was something he liked very much. To be anonymous. Genderless. To be free to be anyone he wanted to be.

After a few minutes inspection, he decided the room certainly was empty enough to serve as a hiding place from his... bodyguards. Four women assigned by his now sickly mother to keep him safe from harm. Classes were still in session and he had been on a tour of the school when he had decided to skip out. He grinned when he imagined them scurrying around the school, desperate to find their charge.

Lazily, he twirled a lock of hair and spied a couch by the window. It was bathed in sunlight and the inner cat in him was immediately attracted to the idea of the warmth and comfort of such a place. He pounced on the soft cushions and kicked off his shoes to settle down into the warm, comfortable couch, stretching out his long slender legs. Quickly, he found himself drifting off to sleep.

He didn't know how long he slept but when his eyes finally did flutter open, the sun outside had sunk to about mid-afternoon, meaning the light that he had been bathed in had been greatly reduced. Now he shivered slightly at the loss of it. The second thing he noticed was that two rather good looking boys were leaning over him, curious looks on their faces as they studied him. The third thing he noticed was that they were completely identical.

"He-Hello?" murmured the boy uncertainly, careful to heighten his voice slightly so it was pitched as a girl. The twins' faces broke in wide grins.

"Sleeping Beauty's woken up," they called in unison behind them and to Yuki's dismay, as he sat up, he realised that there were more people in the room. He pulled his long hair protectively over his shoulder, stroking it carefully. It was a habit he had picked up long ago.

"It's not every day," began one twin as he put his arm around Yuki's shoulder.

"That we get a beauty like you sleeping in our club room," finished the other, leaning in close to trace a long finger along the brunette's jaw line. A slight shiver went up his spine and he knew a light blush was tinting his cheeks but he pushed the hand away and shrugged the arm off his shoulder. He stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of his shorts.

"You flatter me but I'm afraid it's wasted on me."

"Then why don't you tell us, princess, the reason for your wandering into our den?" crooned a tall blonde as he cupped Yuki's chin in his slender, gentle hand. He stared romantically into the shorter boy's eyes who responded by shoving him away and rolling his eyes.

"I wandered in because I felt like it," he said defiantly as he walked away from the three nosy men, his arms folded firmly against himself.

"So... What is this? Strip-club?" he asked casually, as he lent against the round table that the rest of the occupants of the room were gathered around. All of them eyed him curiously and he really was starting to wonder what all these handsome boys were doing in one room. Maybe this was a modelling club... He'd heard that there was a club at this school that was made up entirely of boys and it wasn't exactly... conventional. There were seven all up and all seemed to represent different types which Yuki found curious

"Not quite," muttered one figure and Yuki looked at him expectantly. He seemed different from the rest. He was shorter, slimmer and had big brown eyes and slightly messy brown hair. The other guys all looked like models but this one seemed more natural. _Normal's more like it..._ though Yuki with a smirk. This boy didn't flaunt his style or looks. In fact, out of all of them, he was by far the most feminine. Yuki smiled at him and was rewarded with a small smile in return.

"So... Elaborate?"

The blonde butted in and coughed importantly. "Ouran Private Academy is defined by one, prestigious families, and two, wealth. And prosperous people have much time on their hands. Therefore, this Ouran Host Club is about these handsome guys that have time, giving hospitality to these lovely ladies who also have time, and profit off of them. It's an elegant game unique to this super-rich school," he said as if it clarified everything.

"Yeah... we're a Host Club," muttered the brunette boy, looking glum.

"I... see. Isn't that a little shallow?"

"Sh-shallow?" mumbled the blonde boy and Yuki blinked in surprise as he seemed to wilt in front of him and melt into the shadows.

"Don't worry about that. He does it from time to time," said a tall, dark haired, bespectacled boy of about the same age as the blonde.

"Oh... so this is normal then," murmured Yuki as he twirled a lock of his hair.

"Mm! Tama-chan is very fragile!" chirped a small boy who looked like he should still be in middle school. Yuki wondered how on earth a kid like him had got into High School. A strong, formidable boy beside him nodded almost solemnly and Yuki had to hold back a giggle at how strange he looked beside the boy.

"Alright then. So, this is a Host Club? When do you operate?"

"After school usually," murmured the brunette boy as he folded his arms against his chest and settled back into his chair.

"Popular?"

"Very," replied the black haired boy as he entered something on his laptop.

"So you're... from the Hiro family?" asked the boy with a wry smile, as he regarded Yuki with a curious gaze. Yuki's eyes widened in surprise when he realised that he must have access to his records, though how he had managed that he didn't know.

"Uh... yeah," he murmured uncertainly, not sure if he wanted his information known so easily. It basically meant he'd have to choose now, girl, or boy. He knew that the dark haired boy already knew who he really was and he knew that he'd hold it against him.

"What about you? If you already know my history, then who are you lot?" he asked defensively.

"I'm Ootori Kyoya, that is Suoh Tamaki," he replied, pointing to himself and then to the still sulking blonde in the corner.

"I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni, but you can call me Hunny! This is Morinozuka Takashi but we call him Mori," said the honey-blonde boy and Yuki looked at him in surprise. He knew of the Haninozuka's and knew of their son Mitsukuni, though he had never met him. He'd heard he was in his last year of school now but this boy surely wasn't him. He looked way too young.

The twins announced themselves as Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin and the girlish boy called his name softly as he raised his hand," I'm Haruhi Fujioka."

"Nice to meet you all," he said with a bright smile, "Well I'll best be going, see you all some other time then?" he called as he hurried over to the door, very eager now to be gone.

"Will you come and see us again?" asked the twins in unison as they beat Yuki to the door and opened it wide.

"Uh, yeah, sure," muttered the boy as he dashed outside. For once he hoped he would be able to find his bodyguards.

As the doors shut behind him, the boys of the host club looked at each other curiously, all except Kyoya, "Wait, she didn't tell us her name..." said Haruhi.

Kyoya smiled dryly as he closed his laptop and stood up, positioning himself by the window. Below he could see Yuki arguing defiantly with four, serious looking women. It didn't look like he was winning. "Maybe _she's_ in a rush. She's from a very influential family; I can't imagine she can laze around here _all_ the time."

Down in the garden, Yuki grumbled as he was led back out to the stretched limo that sat waiting for him and his guards at the gates.

"Never do that again please Yuki-san. We are assigned to keep you safe and we will do our job-"

"Even if it means I must have no life. Yeah, I get it."

"That's not what we mean," argued a different woman.

"Just take me home... I've seen enough of the school for one day."

* * *

A few days after Yuki's encounter with the host club, class 1-A was abuzz with gossip about the new student. It seemed he had already garnered quite a few fans from both guys and girls, and all were wondering who he, or she, was.

"Do you think it's that Hiro girl we found in our room?" asked Hikaru as the twins lounged around Haruhi's desk before the start of class.

"Probably. Was it just me or did she seem a little... I don't know... Odd?

"Haru-chan, are you seriously asking _us_ that question?" asked Kaoru with a grin and Haruhi sighed with resignation.

"But you're right though. It's like when we first met you. It didn't take long to figure out you were a girl and something about that girl reminded us a lot of then..." Hikaru paused for a moment and Haruhi looked at him expectantly, "Ooh do you think Hiro-chan is really a-a-a boy?" exclaimed the boy in mock horror as he put his hands to his cheeks. Haruhi rolled her eyes and the boys grinned widely.

"It's probably just your sick mind that's the issue here."

Meanwhile, Yuki was traipsing around the gardens feeling incredibly bored. In the end he had managed to persuade his mother to let him wear the male uniform. He didn't like the idea of someone being able to blackmail him with something as trivial as his gender. But he also didn't try very hard to hide his femininity, if only to appease his mother, she was very ill after all. On her insistence he would keep his long hair and still act like a girl. If anything he still essentially appeared as a girl but a lot of the other students were debating his choice of the male uniform.

Today he marched into the school with his hair tied up. He thought he looked quite good in the uniform and couldn't help wondering what Ootori Kyoya's reaction would be. He also couldn't help wondering what Haruhi would think. He had suspicions about him. Something about him just didn't sit quite right. It was hard to come by boys who looked like Haruhi did and that was coming from a boy who looked like a girl. Shrugging, he chose to wander the gardens until the bell rang.

He hadn't bothered to research the school much and knew nothing of the layout so by the time he reached his classroom, he had missed half of his first lesson, not that it really mattered; after all, it was math. He excelled in math so would have no problem catching up. He sat down quickly in a spare desk and dug out all his things for school. No surprise half of it was pink and covered in cute characters and the other half were quirky things he'd found himself and weren't particularly girly. He smiled a little when he realised how well his stationery, of all things, seemed to reflect him so well.

"Hiro-san?" whispered a familiar voice as he sat down and Yuki looked around in surprise to find Haruhi seated beside him. Two more figures bent forward and he identified them as the twins. They were all looking at him with looks of mixed understanding, disbelief and amusement. He thought that for a moment they looked like a set of triplets.

"Hey look, it's Sleeping Beauty. Where is your dress?" asked one of the twins and right then Yuki wished he could tell them apart. Maybe it would work if they wore nametags...

"Oh... Hello," replied Yuki, not particularly happy to be in the same class as the so-called Hosts. He figured the other members must be in higher grades so he'd escape scrutiny from them but this was still disconcerting.

"Huh, I wouldn't have picked you as a tomboy. Your name was Yuki right?" asked the other twin and Yuki grimaced. Before he had sat down he had had to introduce himself and that was always painful, for anyone.

"I-I'm not... I _am _a-" started Yuki before he was interrupted by the teacher who shot him a questioning look. "S-sorry Itaka-sensei," he murmured before concentrating on his work and avoiding all eye-contact with the other three and ignoring their constant ploys for his attention.

By break he was mentally exhausted, not from the school work, but from the three 'hosts'. He had managed to slip away from them at the bell and was now wandering through the halls on his own, trying to find the cafeteria though so far he was unsuccessful. He rounded a corner and was surprised when he felt strong hands grab him by the shoulders and lifted him up into a cradle of sorts.

"Hey! PUT ME DOWN!" he demanded heatedly before realising it was Takashi from the Host Club. "Huh? Mori-senpai?"

_Good God, they're everywhere... _he thought, disgruntled.

"Nuh-uh~ we've been given orders by Tamaki-kun to take you back to the club Yuki-chan!" chimed Hani and Yuki had to crane his neck to look at the diminutive figure at Mori's side.

"Oh, hello Hunny-senpai," murmured the boy weakly as he gave up and consented to being carried bridal style back to the club. He felt incredibly stupid and embarrassed when he was carried through the more crowded halls and he wondered if it was really necessary to carry him like this. Strangely enough he thought he saw quite a few of the girls throwing him looks of utter hatred and he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"We here!" called Hani as he pushed open the door.

"Successful capture of the princess?" asked a twin.

"Yup!"

"Perfect!" that was Tamaki as he approached, clapping his hands enthusiastically, "Put her on the throne!"

"Wait, what throne? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" shouted Yuki desperately as he started kicking. This wasn't a host club, it was something far seedier!

"Calm down! Geez!" said the other twin and it took all of Yuki's self-control not to scream again and demand they wear name tags.

He looked at what he was seated on and was mildly surprised to see he was actually sitting on a throne.

"Fine. You've captured me. Now what?"

"We want you in our Club," they all chorused, except Haruhi, who seemed to be looking at him with pity and understanding, sort of...

"What..." he asked dimly.

"You'll be perfect here. There are plenty of girls who like your androgynous looks. Don't think we were fooled though you did a spectacular job of it. Most the student body thinks you're a girl. It would be a great pull to have you here, we might actually bring in some guys with you, though I'm still wondering if that's a good thing or not," stated Kyoya matter-of-factly and right then Yuki felt like hitting him.

"What do you mean, 'don't think we were fooled'. What makes you guys more perceptible of one's gender?"

"Well, other than the fact that you neglected to alter your voice today, you chose the boy's uniform and with your hair back, your face looks slightly less feminine, we also have a secret in our club," explained Tamaki casually as he lounged against a table. Haruhi was shooting him uneasy looks.

"What? Are you all secretly girls and thought it would be amusing if you actually had at least one boy?" he asked sarcastically though by now he had already pieced some things together.

"No, not all of us are girls..."

"But Haruhi is..." murmured the twins as they draped their arms around Haruhi's shoulders.

"Ah... I should've guessed sooner," he replied with a smile.

In all honesty, he'd had a feeling that Haruhi wasn't all he... or rather, she had seemed. And as for the proposal of membership, though their reasoning seemed a little implausible, he was actually intrigued by this whole 'Hosting' idea and when he was asked if he'd accept he answered, with a coy smile, "I'll do three days. If I like it after that, I might stay on. That is my only offer."

"Fine, we'll take it. You can watch some afternoons to learn what to do. Come with the twins and Haruhi. You can start next week," said Kyoya as he walked over to the tables at the back of the room.

"Alright! So you're one of us now!" said one twin excitedly as he came up beside Yuki and took him by the shoulders.

"For now... OK can you please tell me which twin is which?" he asked, finally giving up.

"You have to guess first! If you're anything like Haru-chan, you'll be able to tell pretty easily."

Yuki didn't think he'd get it but in the end pointed at one and said, "Hikaru," and pointed to the other and said, "Kaoru."

"BA-BOW! Wrong!" they squealed with glee but let it go, "Don't worry, hardly anyone gets it right."

"OK..."

"Come on, we have class," chided Haruhi as she left the room.

"So what's the reason for _your_ cross dressing?"

"Mistaken as a boy for dressing daggy on the first day and now I'm forced to be one until I repay my debts to the club... It doesn't bother me much. I mean, being a girl isn't much different to being a boy. What about you?" she asked with a smile and Yuki had to hold back his fit of giggles at how absurd it was to be discussing the fact that they both pretended to be other genders.

"My mother insisted I grew up as a girl from when I was little. I stuck with it to now because she's ill. It's the least I can do, to respect her wishes," he smiled, almost sadly, "And I beg to differ. I'd say there is a lot of difference between being a girl and a boy. It's so much easier to be a boy."

"I suppose..."

"Wait; aren't all the kids here loaded? Why can't you just pay your debt with your own money? Why do you have to work for it?" he fixed the girl with a firm gaze, "Wait... what... _debts_ are we talking about here? I'm not getting involved with the Yakuza or anything am I?" Yuki wasn't stupid; he knew that there were a few students here who had questionable ties in their family. For some, it was the only reason they had managed to get in at Ouran.

"Yeah... I'm a scholarship student, that's why I was wearing boyish clothes... I couldn't afford the uniforms. You know how outrageously expensive that thing you're wearing is? And no... My debts are for breaking a _really_ expensive vase meant for an auction... and various other expenses. It's pathetic really what the rich do."

"You cut me deep Haru-chan. You really do. As one of the elite 'rich people' I feel real hurt in here," he looked at her with mock hurt as he patted his chest where his heart lay beating beneath his flesh, but his face quickly broke into a grin. "_So_... You've got brains? Beauty and book-smarts. I like," he said appreciatively, giving her a wink. Haruhi rolled her eyes at how easily his mood changed and how similar he was to some of the hosts. But for some reason, she couldn't help smiling. She quickly hid the expression and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Glad to know. I wouldn't have picked you to be the flirt..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, a little put off by her bluntness.

"Don't worry about her barbs. She does that. A lot. She means no harm really, she's just a little socially awkward," explained Hikaru as he looped an arm through one of Yuki's and Haruhi's and Yuki couldn't help but grin as Haruhi shot the twin a look of disgust.

"Come on!" called Kaoru from up ahead as Hikaru shepherded them from behind, "We'll be late!"

* * *

Author's nonsensical babbling: "Introducing Yuki! One of my few male leads, by the way. Yeah... I'm not that good at writing from a guy's point of view really... so forgive me but he's pretty much a girl in boy's clothing... sort of. I couldn't resist introducing a male character that cross-dressed into the series that wasn't Haruhi's dad or his colleagues. Ooooohhh that would be an epic meeting right there! The two cross-dressers! UNITE! :P

Anyway, hope you enjoyed~ constructive criticism and reviews are always loved and flamers will be disliked immediately. I can't really do anything to you other than complain and hate you from my dark corner of solitude but I will hope that it stays on your conscience that you probably hurt my feelings and made me cry. Actually... that's probably something I shouldn't say... it might egg the flamers on. Oh well. I suppose I'll have to get used to it if I'm going to write Fanfics right? Actually... enlighten me. Is flaming very common? I'm not experienced at this at all XD I've been on FF for about... 2 months? Yeah...

Also, this is the longest, _longest_ author's note I've ever written... I'm sorry. It probably won't ever be this long again :P


	2. Fairest of Them All

**{Undercover Princess}**

_.::Round and round the garden goes the teddy bear... One step, two step, what will he find there?::._

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Chapter 2} **Fairest of Them All**

-By Charles-

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"Welcome!" chorused the Host Club and Yuki hid behind the twins, peeking tentatively from behind them.

It had only been half an hour ago that he had turned up at the 3rd Music Room before he was given a rough outline of what was going to happen, how he was supposed to act and then thrust into a Grecian toga, olive wreath and all. He was used to wearing dresses but that didn't mean he was comfortable. His brown locks had been curled and loosely pinned out of his face. The other hosts wore similar things to him and in a way he was glad that the toga was so much like a dress. Perhaps they had picked the theme solely for that purpose.

When he was ready, he had been thrown to stand next to Tamaki and forced to immediately face the crowd of girls. He'd watched the last few hosting activities from a distance, mostly talking to Kyoya or sitting at a window seat and watching from there while reading a book but that didn't arm him really for what was about to happen. He'd hardly been taught a thing and suddenly panic began to overwhelm his mind.

The girls went off with their hosts and Yuki was left standing meekly next to Kyoya. When his presence was finally noticed, the girls looked at him with shock, surprise and curiosity. Most had already seen him haunting the club room but hadn't taken much notice. This was totally different and he found himself in the spotlight. He wasn't sure he enjoyed it.

Tamaki stood up from lying on his cushy seat and strode over to Yuki who was now fidgeting.

"Today is an auspicious moment as we are introducing out newest member, Yuki Hiro, the new 'hime' of the club. Treat Yuki with care, our princess is a delicate flower that needs taking care of ladies," he said to an enthralled audience.

"H-H-Hello everyone," stuttered Yuki as he bowed, "I'm Yuki Hiro. I hope I serve you well," he smiled sweetly and the girls all gave him encouraging smiles. As to whether or not they thought he was a boy or girl was unclear but he was pretty sure they'd gather sooner or later.

"Today Yuki-chan will be sitting with Haruhi," explained Kyoya as he prodded Yuki in her direction. "Go on."

Haruhi offered him a friendly smile and that seemed to calm him a little as he slid onto the white cushions with her.

The activity around them returned to normal and he gave Haruhi's customers a small smile. "Hello," he said quietly.

"Hello Hiro-san," replied on girl as she nibbled on a grape. She smiled and soon the other girls followed suit and conversation flowed freely between the two hosts and their guests.

"Forgive me for asking, but I thought the club was solely for males to join?" asked a different girl, not unkindly. She looked genuinely interested. Haruhi fidgeted a little.

"Oh, really? Then I guess that makes my identity questionable. Oh Haruhi... do you think they will still except me?" asked Yuki in mock worry as he held her hands.

"I think you should tell them," said Haruhi soothingly as she smoothed Yuki's hair kindly and the girls squealed in anticipation.

"Do you mean that you're really a boy Yuki-chan?" asked a girl excitedly, "See! I told you Ri-chan!" she said to her friend who started pouting.

"But there's no way a boy can look like that!" she complained as reply but stopped when she realised Yuki was watching her curiously. "S-sorry,"

"No no it's fine. Even my family makes the same mistake all the time," he smoothed his hair nervously but it seemed most the other guest had figured he was a boy and things went on more or less as before. They seemed to like him paired with Haruhi too.

"We wish you luck in the club Yuki-chan!" they chorused as they left and he smiled.

"Thank you Haru-chan," he murmured as he rested his head on hers. It hadn't skipped his attention that she was the perfect height for him to rest his head on. Trivial thought perhaps but it seemed a useful thing to know about someone.

"That's OK," she replied as she patted his shoulder, "Come on, we have to get changed."

"Those two get on well don't you think?" whispered Kaoru to Tamaki and Hikaru as they huddled, watching the other two retreat to the change rooms.

"Very well..." whispered Tamaki, unable to hide the hint of jealousy in his eyes.

"I guess it makes sense..." stated Hikaru and Kaoru noted the same look was in his eyes too. He sighed, realising that they were both reacting to Yuki's ease with the girl.

"Come on you two simpering pups. We have to get changed too you know."

* * *

A few moments later, the group was gathered in the music room again. Yuki sat wedged between Kyoya and Haruhi and was surprised to find Tamaki and Hikaru almost glaring at him. Hunny was asleep in Mori's arms and Kaoru was looking very uneasy next to Hikaru.

"You did well today," said Kyoya appreciatively as he patted Yuki on the head. The boy looked up and smiled.

"Thanks," he didn't know why but though Kyoya had made him feel on guard and uncomfortable at first, he had got used to him in the last couple of days and now he didn't have a problem with him. He'd warmed up to him very quickly. The twins and Tamaki however, were a little different. They confused him, greatly, what with their wavering moods and continual toying of emotions. And as for the cousins Hunny and Mori, they were friendly enough and he got on well with them but he hadn't had much to do with them since the age difference was larger. Yuki had always known that he had quick impressions of people so he wondered if his first impression would change. He definitely liked Haruhi, that was undeniable but she was different. For one, she was in a similar position to him, only she was forced to her hide her gender. He had the choice and quite frankly, since being at Ouran, he'd adopted the attitude of not caring about his appearance any more. That was a great feat considering he'd only been there for a week. Maybe this school would be good for him. The last was obviously never going to work.

"Can we ask why you transferred here half-way through the year?" questioned Tamaki as he reclined in his chair, looking at Yuki now in curiosity. The boy was quite glad that the Hikaru and the Prince had finished glaring at him.

"Um... Well..." he paused, not sure if he wanted to talk about it, "I was enrolled in a school across the country... I suppose it was similar to Ouran, not as big or grand though. I was living with my Aunt at the time because mother was in a special care centre over there. I was never close with my Aunt, she's on my father's side, but she thought I was a girl, so I had to be a girl while I was there on orders of my mother who had explicitly told her I was female. I got through most the year without anyone bothering me, kept to myself, I just wanted it over and done with so I could finish the year and we could move back here because Mother's treatment would be over by then. It went well until..." he trailed off, a faint blush in his cheeks. His audience were looking on with baited breath and Yuki fidgeted under the weight of their gaze.

"It went well until this guy... I don't actually remember his name, decided he... liked me..." he scratched his cheek uncomfortably and felt even more uneasy when Tamaki and the Twins started snorting as they tried to keep their laughter in check. "He kept sending me letters and asking me out and in the end he tried to kiss me... That didn't end well. I punched him in the face and ran off; I think I gave him a black eye... After that he kept pestering me and started getting really weird. He followed me home and found out I was guy when he heard me talking to Mother on the phone. Safe to say he started trying to blackmail me. He'd team up with friends and threaten me if I didn't play nice and do things for them like get their lunches and clean up after them. He knew I was a guy so he apparently wasn't going to do anything... _bad_. I don't know what he had told his friends though because I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have wanted to tell them he'd had a thing for a guy in a dress, but they followed his suit and ordered me around. In the end my Aunt found out from one of the girls in my class and got me out of the school and sent me back here. I'm staying on my own at the moment while Mother is in hospital but I visit her every couple of weekends. Perks of having a private plane," he said with a grin but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Are you OK?" asked Haruhi worriedly.

"Yeah... It's the past right? Besides, the guy just couldn't hack that he was rejected by such a lovely specimen as myself," he said brightly, flipping his hair with a real grin, "Or the fact that the punch I gave him was a damned good one. I pride myself on those."

The group talked easily after that and soon Yuki realised he had made his first real school friends since starting his education. His entire being seemed to be at ease right then and he settled back against his seat between Kyoya and Haruhi and listened with a smile. Slowly his eyes drooped shut and he dozed off to sleep.

* * *

"You really have to stop doing this," murmured a voice and Yuki felt the hair being smoothed from his face.

"Ngh... What?" muttered the boy as he pushed himself off the couch and looked around. The room was a lot darker now, nearly sunset.

"You know, your continual need to sleep in our Club room."

"Kyoya? What are you doing here?" asked Yuki tiredly, rubbing his face as he stood up. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find his nose in the bespectacled boy's chest. He sat back down abruptly and scooted over. Kyoya sat down beside him.

"Well for one, I'm part of this club, and I had things I had to take care of, like paperwork, so I stayed back late. That, and you fell asleep again. We couldn't just leave you here on your own. I was the only one who could stay back."

"You can stop reminding me. I have really bad sleeping patterns. I don't sleep well at night so whenever I'm comfortable I fall asleep. It's a bad habit but I don't think I'll ever grow out of it," he rubbed his face and shoved his hair as it threatened to flop over his eyes.

"I think you left something out of your story before," said the taller male matter-of-factly as he shuffled some papers in a folder. He cleaned his glasses and sat back against the couch, folding his legs and resting a thin hand on his bended knee.

"Have you been snooping around my files again?" asked Yuki with a raised eyebrow, "If you think my sleeping is a bad habit maybe you should try and break some of yours."

"Perhaps. Still, I could tell even without looking at your records that you left certain things out."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, that boy didn't just order you around. I know there were accounts of assault."

"He and his friends just shoved me around. They didn't do anything... well you know."

"I read you went to hospital for a broken wrist and bruising, especially to your abdomen and face."

"I fell down some stairs!" exclaimed Yuki. He didn't like being interrogated like this and he felt a little betrayed that Kyoya was snooping around in his life. "I don't want to talk about it OK? Just... forget it. You don't understand," muttered the boy dangerously as he got up. He felt a hand grasp his wrist firmly and he turned back. In the half-light he couldn't read Kyoya's expression very well but he figured it was probably serious.

"I know what happened. I... talked to your Aunt."

"Why would you do that?" Yuki was angry now. He tried to pull out of Kyoya's grasp but it was too strong and he flopped back on to the seat.

"Because you need to talk to someone. You can't keep this quiet; it'll eat away at you."

"I'm over it. It's over, it's already happened. I can't go back and stop it. Why do you care anyway? I never picked you to care about anyone, or to ever possess any real emotion. Not to mention I've only known you a couple of days."

"It doesn't matter why I care," replied Kyoya bluntly and he let go of the boy's wrist and started to gather his things. Yuki had to admit that Kyoya hadn't seemed to have shown much emotion during his little interview. He'd just stated fact after fact.

"Yes it does and until I get an answer I won't be talking about what happened." Yuki stood up and fetched his bag off the table and made his way to the door, grabbing his phone from his pocket.

He gasped in surprise as he felt a weight over him and found himself pinned against a wall by Kyoya's taller frame. He winced as his phone clattered from his hand.

"What are you doing?" demanded Yuki, annoyance making his blood boil. He was over this now. Kyoya had no right to do what he was doing.

"Promise me you'll stay safe. That's all I'm asking," whispered Kyoya and it was the first time Yuki had heard a note of urgency in his senior's voice. He looked up in confusion. Kyoya put his forehead to Yuki's and pressed his hands to the boy's cheeks. "Promise me you'll talk about what happened."

"Why do you care!" asked Yuki again and he felt ready to punch Kyoya. "What is going on with you? Of all the people in this club I thought you were easier to read, to understand. I thought I had you figured out and now you do _this_. I was wrong. This thing isn't for me. Everyone here is so messed up!" he shoved the other boy and picked up his phone, making his way determinedly to the door.

"Wait!" called Kyoya as he grabbed Yuki's wrist again and the boy spun around to let his anger get the better of him but was surprised when he found himself slip and fall onto Kyoya, consequently making him fall off balance. The pair crashed to the floor.

Yuki opened his eyes tentatively and immediately tried to push himself away from Kyoya once he realised he was now lying on him. He was stopped as the boy took a firm grip of his shirt and pulled him close. Their eyes met for, what seemed to Yuki, a very long time before Kyoya tugged him closer and put their lips together. Yuki froze in shock to start with before going along with it. He thought it felt sort of... nice. Then the pieces seemed to fit together and he immediately started to squirm and finally managed to break off Kyoya's hold.

He didn't say anything as he scrambled away and ran out the door. What could he say? The bastard had just stolen his first kiss for one. Second, Kyoya was most definitely a male and Yuki had certainly never been all that much attracted to men. Third he was incredibly peeved and needed to get away before he kicked Kyoya where it hurt most.

He successfully called his chauffer and got into the car as quickly as he could.

"Everything alright Hiro-san," asked the driver nicely as he pulled away from the school.

"Uh... yeah fine," replied Yuki distractedly as he stared out the window. How had his afternoon turned so sour? He touched his lips absently before wiping the back of his hand across and bringing his fist down hard on the leather seat.

"Bastard," he whispered angrily.

* * *

Author's nonsensical babbling: Chapter 2! Look I'll be honest here. I had originally no intention at all for Yuki to like guys and that Kyoya would even have much of a part in this at all. But no, my brain goes and does this to me. Now I'm really confused about what to do because while I really liked what happened, I also have no idea how this is going to turn out... I hope that I've given Kyoya credit and that he's not _too_ out of character. I have no idea what he's even doing... While I watched the series I never paid much attention to him unless the episodes were centred on him and I haven't read much of the manga so I hope I don't sound like a total idiot writing about him or the series as a whole. Depending on reaction I may or may not re-write chapter 2... I don't want this to get too heavy...

It's a lot shorter than the last one too. Originally this chapter was reaching eight pages and still wasn't finished and I felt the power of the kiss would be lost if I drowned it with too many pages.

Don't worry, Yuki goes through more drama next chapter... If that is a good thing... I'm not sure :\

Reviews, comments, criticisms etc are welcomed and even loved. Hints or tips about Kyoya would be ever so helpful.

Flamers will answer to Umbridge and will be forced to follow her punishments. She is woman, hear her SMASH. Ah durr durr durr.

Btw, if you get that reference and say so, I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER.

Simple as that really.


	3. The Queen's Passing

**{Undercover Princess}**

_.::Round and round the garden goes the teddy bear... One step, two step, what will he find there?::._

* * *

Chapter 3} **The Queen's Passing**

-By Charles-

* * *

For the next few days, Yuki avoided the others as much as possible. He sat in the seat furthest away from Haruhi and the Twins during classes and hid in the gardens when it came to Hosting. A few girls came and asked him what was wrong but he answered with a smile and said he just wasn't feeling all that well and was taking a short break. They had seemed dissatisfied with this answer but they'd left him alone. It hurt not to talk to anyone after only just making friends with them. He was back to lying low again and it was all Kyoya's fault.

He'd have to face him eventually and that day came when he crossed Kyoya in an almost deserted corridor. He looked at Yuki in surprise and then his face was a mask of calm once more.

"Yuki, I've been wondering where you've been. Host Club activities are still proceeding-"

"Save it. I don't need this right now. Don't act like everything is fine either," he muttered harshly and stalked away.

He rounded the corner and was surprised to find himself face to face with Haruhi.

"Great. Do you people stalk each other in even spaces so you can ambush people like this?" he asked angrily and Haruhi blinked in surprise.

"What? Uh, never mind. Look, what's going on? You said you'd Host three times. Don't tell me you've chickened out so early. Not that I can blame you but..." Haruhi looked genuinely worried and Yuki sighed. He was only angry and Kyoya. The others had nothing to do with it. That he knew of.

"N-nothing. I might come this afternoon. I've been... busy."

"Sure and I'm the Queen of England."

"That wouldn't suit you," replied Yuki with a grin and Haruhi smiled.

"See you later then?"

"Yeah, alright."

Haruhi walked away and Yuki leant against the wall for support. Tiredly he shoved the hair out of his face again and was reminded of how Kyoya had moved the hair out of his face. The scene had been replaying in his mind over and over again. Even in his dreams it was the same and he was sick of it.

* * *

Later that afternoon, he shut the doors to the third music room quietly behind him and looked at the Hosts as they prepared.

"Hello," he murmured as he walked over.

"Where have _you_ been?" demanded Tamaki but Kyoya rested a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Don't," he whispered and Tamaki immediately relaxed his stance.

"Sorry. I've been having a bit of trouble at home," replied Yuki through gritted teeth as he eyed Kyoya angrily. The hosts shot him confused looks and he dismissed them by ignoring them as he walked passed. They soon returned to their preparations but he knew they were looking over at him when they thought he wasn't looking. Except Kyoya, who didn't once take his eyes off the 'hime' of the Host Club.

Once they were done, and they could hear the arrival of their guests, the Hosts positioned themselves in the centre of the room. The activities were quickly underway.

Yuki sat with Haruhi again and was relieved he wouldn't have to deal with Kyoya for the time being.

"You're back Yuki-chan," said a girl with a bright smile.

"Yup, I wouldn't miss everyone's company if I didn't have a good reason. I've just felt a bit under the weather lately."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm alright now though."

The rest of the afternoon progressed in much the same manner. They'd all talk, drink tea, for a little while they played a 'commoner's' board game which interested Yuki for a short while. In the last 10 minutes or so, he was sitting with some of the girls while Haruhi tried to get out of buying more 'instant' coffee. A tune started to play from his pocket and he fished out his phone and looked at the caller ID curiously.

"That's a cute ringtone," noted one of the girls as she gazed at him with a dreamy smile.

"Thanks," he murmured distractedly, "Um, excuse me, I have to answer this. It's my mother."

He ran out into the empty corridor and shut the door. He quickly answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Yuki Hiro I presume?" answered an authoritative voice on the other side.

"Yeah. How can I help you?"

"It's Doctor Himawatsu. I was in charge of looking after your mother. I'm afraid I have some sad new to deliver."

"No... please, no."

"She passed away in her sleep last night. I'm sorry we couldn't notify you but your aunt was by her side the whole time. You have our condolences."

"Uh... Th-thank you..." Yuki only managed that and a strained goodbye before he hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket. He leant back against the wall and held his head in his hands as he slid slowly to the floor.

"No..." he murmured, "No, no, no..." he didn't bother trying to hide the tears or stop the crying. He was orphaned now. He had no family other than his aunt and he wouldn't, _couldn't_, go back there.

The doors to the music room opened up, letting light pour out into the dim hallway. He looked up with his tearstained face at the crowd of girls and Hosts. A dark haired figure came forward and knelt beside him.

"What happened-" asked Haruhi before Yuki shoved her away.

"Get away! Don't use that concerned tone of voice with me!" he shouted. He didn't care he had an audience, he didn't care his face was red and blotched. He pretended not to care about the hurt look on Haruhi's face. He just needed to get away. The boy sprang up and sprinted down the hall and around the corner. He ran as fast as he could before he reached the gardens, paused to catch his breath and then raced for his hiding spot.

A tall willow tree loomed in front. Behind it grew a large hedge but on his first day he had found a hole in it and, when he crawled through, he had found a bench surrounded by foliage. It was quiet and shady. He loved it and that's where he was headed now.

Sharp twigs scraped his skin as he crawled through the hole but once he was through nothing mattered. He was in his special place. He slumped into his bench and succumbed to the tears. He could hear voices calling his name but he ignored them.

A rustling noise came from the hedge and he looked up abruptly, unable to stop the hiccups. A dark head and broad shoulders poked through the hole and Yuki winced when he saw it was Kyoya.

"Go away," he demanded immediately.

"No. What happened?" asked Kyoya as he dusted himself off and straightened his glasses.

Yuki sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "None of your business."

"It is when you make a scene like you have now and disrupt an afternoon of Host Club activities. We had to send the girls off early to look for you. That's an afternoon's profit gone, though I don't doubt we will be able to regain that in the selling capabilities of gossip on your behalf. Half the rumours circulating this school right now are about you. Where you come from, who you are, why you look like a girl... The list goes on."

Yuki stood up angrily and pulled his fist back, ready to hit Kyoya squarely in the face. He stopped just before he let the throw go and sighed, letting his fist drop. The other boy hadn't flinched at all. His dark eyes had merely stared at him, as if daring the boy to hit him.

Yuki hiccuped and realised he was crying again. He looked at Kyoya in despair, his blue eyes brimming with tears, before everything in his mind clicked. He might not have liked it but at that moment, right then, he needed the other and he grabbed Kyoya's uniform and pulled him close. Kyoya wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and hugged him as the boy cried into his chest.

"My mother... she died last night," whispered Yuki through hiccups after he had stopped crying. Kyoya had ushered him to the bench and they now sat there, Kyoya with his arm firmly around Yuki's shoulders and Yuki resting his head on Kyoya's chest.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hiro-san was a valuable investor in Ootori businesses."

"Is that why you've been so protective of me?"

Kyoya paused for a moment and shook his head. "Perhaps to start with but I don't know anymore."

"I thought you were all about what you can gain from others and how to calculate others so you can have the most profit. Tell me, what the hell will you _gain_ from being with me? That kiss... If anything you stand to lose a lot. Perhaps everything."

"You're right. That afternoon was a mistake. I doubt it will happen again," murmured Kyoya as he let go of Yuki, gently repositioning them both so they sat apart. "It was a... miscalculation."

"Pretty big miscalculation. You know I have a hard time believing that right?" said Yuki with a wry smirk.

"Yes, but for the moment it's truth. Now I think it's time we went back. People are going to suspect things and I am in no mood for gossip when it involves me personally."

Yuki nodded and followed Kyoya out of the hole in the hedge. His mind swam with so many thoughts and questions that when he focused on one, more presented themselves and soon he began to develop a headache.

* * *

A few hours later, Yuki stared glumly at the email from his aunt. He sat in t-shirt and jeans and was seated at his desk. She had asked if he would come live with her. Fat chance of that happening and he had said as much. She'd replied and had said she hadn't really expected him to accept and would recommend he be allowed to live on his estate, for it was now all his, on his own. She also asked that he fly down on the weekend for his mother's funeral. Of course he'd go; he couldn't exactly refuse, especially after that episode that afternoon.

Kyoya had driven him home and he'd actually been glad of the company. They hadn't spoken much but it was nice to have someone there. The house had felt so empty when he marched upstairs to do his homework.

He turned off his computer and crawled into bed, falling into a restless sleep.

* * *

The next few days of school passed too quickly for Yuki's liking and the date for him to fly to the funeral site loomed before him. The flight itself was comfortable which made it fast as well. Even the funeral had proceeded without a hitch. Before he knew it, she was buried. He didn't shed a single tear and knew he'd get gossip about that. He'd already cried his grief, what was the point of more tears? To go along with his mother's last request, he wore a black dress and pretended to be the girl she had always wanted. He felt a bit sick when some of the sons of company directors that had worked closely with his family were ogling him at the wake. He hadn't stayed long once he realised that they were trying to see who could win him and make their father's happy.

When he arrived home, he slumped up to his room and changed into pyjamas. Then he stared at his reflection in the vanity mirror. His cheeks and eyes were still red from rubbing off his makeup. In front of him sat a pair of large hairdressing scissors he'd swiped from his mother's room.

With a shaking hand he picked up the scissors and grabbed a large chunk of his hair. He screwed his eyes shut as he hacked away at the long brown hair. He hacked and chopped until the hair that had once reached past his waist now only just managed to reach his shoulders. Well most of it was that length at least. When he was done he looked like a mess but he felt... almost free. Actually he thought he looked a lot better with shorter hair but decidedly would never pursue a career in hairdressing.

"Oh my... Yuki-san! What have you done?" asked a maid in shock as she bustled in and snatched the scissors away from him.

"My mother's gone now. I'm free to be who I want," his voice was a monotone as he stood up and sat in the window seat. He rested his chin on his knees as he stared glumly at the grounds below.

"If that's how you feel," she murmured before going to get a broom and returning to sweep up his hair. She knew her place well enough to know that arguing with him wouldn't be good. "I'm worried about you Yuki."

"Don't be. I'm fine."

She didn't believe him and quickly fetched his phone and called the only friends she knew he had.

She was the only one left working so late and was about to leave for the night but thought it necessary to make sure he had people to be with him. She flicked quickly through the contacts list, hating she had to be so nosy, and found the name Yuki had said so much over the last few days. She hoped it was the same person as she rang the number.

"Hello?" asked a tired voice from the other end of the line.

A quick conversation later, the woman disconnected the call and quietly put Yuki's phone where she had got it. He still sat by the window seat, his messily chopped hair looking quite terrible.

"I'm leaving now Yuki-san. Please don't stay up too late. If there's anything you need, my number is by your phone," she said, placing a slip of paper by the device.

"Thank you..." he whispered and she turned to leave.

The maid hoped that Haruhi would be able to round everyone up. It was late after all.

* * *

About an hour later, the Host Club arrived at Yuki's doorstep. A small note was stuck on the door and Haruhi rubbed her eyes as she pulled it off the wood.

_Thank you for coming so late. Please, just go through. He's in his room, top floor, second to the right._

"Simple enough," she whispered as she opened the door quietly and held it open for everyone to come in. They gathered at the base of the steps and looked at each other expectantly.

"I'm going up... Maybe you guys should wait down here and I'll coax him down," she whispered.

"No way," ordered Tamaki and the twins nodded vigorously, "You said yourself he'd done something with a pair of scissors. What if he's gone mad and threatens to stab you?"

"He won't stab me," she muttered in a bored tone as she walked up the stairs. Kyoya followed silently.

"What are you doing Senpai?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Coming with you."

"Why?"

"As the son of one of our major investors, who is deceased, he is now a major component of Ootori finances. I have to make sure he's OK," he replied without batting an eyelid as he continued up the stairs.

"I'm amazed how somehow that sounds logical and normal when it comes from your mouth. With anyone else that would be thought heartless."

"I'm full of surprises."

The pair left the Hosts behind. Tamaki was pouting a little but concern was clear on his face. The twins sat on a seat by the door, completely still and silent. Hunny slept in Mori's arms as he stood next to Tamaki.

After three flights of steps, much to Haruhi's annoyance, they found Yuki's bedroom. Light poured out into the otherwise pitch black corridor from a crack in the doorway. Haruhi pushed open the door slowly and coughed.

"Yuki-kun?" she whispered, not sure if the figure by the window was him or not. After all, the Yuki she knew had long hair, this boy looked deranged.

He spun around abruptly and Haruhi noted that it was Yuki. Kyoya's eyes widened slightly at the boy's appearance.

"So this is what she meant by 'getting too close to scissors'... What have you done to yourself Yuki-kun?" she asked as she walked over to him and hugged him tightly, stroking his hair, or rather, attempting to fix up the mess he had made.

Kyoya stood watching silently from the doorway.

"I don't want to be a girl anymore," muttered Yuki as he tried to push her away.

"You really need to see the twins right now," whispered Kyoya.

Yuki's eyes darted over to him and he grimaced. "Why is that?" he asked.

"To fix the mess you've made of your hair. We can't have you hosting looking like that."

"I don't want to host."

"Yes you do. We know you like it."

"I don't care anymore. I just want school over with so I can leave and be alone."

"Stop it. Now Yuki. That is the most stupid thing I've heard," that was Haruhi now and Yuki looked at her in surprise. She had never directed that tone of voice at him before and he wasn't sure he liked it. She looked almost angry.

"When you're Hosting, your smile is genuine. Before you debuted, your smile never reached your eyes but up until very recently it did. I don't know what happened to make you stop coming but I know you liked it at the Host Club. I know I'm probably the last person you expected to hear this from but I love the Host Club. Yes, I hated it, at first, but that group of idiot boys are my closest friends now. You can't just leave without giving them a chance. Besides, you're being completely irrational and melodramatic."

"And you thought _I_ sounded heartless," noted Kyoya with a raised eyebrow.

"Gee thanks," he frowned but his face softened as he continued," I'll admit, you sound really desperate to have me there," he said with a small smile. He had to admit he had felt happy being amongst all that friendship and fun. He'd finally felt like he belonged somewhere.

Silently, he got up and padded over to the door, his white slippers softening his footsteps on the wooden floorboards. "I presume you brought the rest of the Club and they're all downstairs."

"Yes," replied Kyoya quietly with a small smile. Yuki returned it and made his way down to the foyer.

"He really did make a mess of himself didn't he?" whispered Haruhi as they followed.

"That was quite an impressive speech," noted Kyoya as he cleaned his glasses. "I've never heard you so passionate about the Club."

"I'm not but you guys are my friends, I won't deny that," she said matter-of-factly before quickening to catch up to Yuki.

* * *

"What do you think happened that afternoon? Kyoya never did say what went on between them. Other than his mum died," murmured Hikaru.

"Mm. Something is going on but I can't figure out what. He's been through a lot but... I don't know," murmured the Prince as he paced. His fellow hosts thought he rarely looked as worried as he did right then.

"Y'know what? You are a complete idiot but you do actually care a lot about us huh? Even Yuki-kun and he's new," Kaoru grinned wolfishly and Tamaki stuck out his tongue.

"We barely know him... why are we at his house in the middle of the night?" groaned Hikaru as he slouched in his seat. He still wore his pyjamas under a jacket. Kaoru and Mori on the other hand had actually bothered to change. Tamaki as usual looked glamorous and little Hunny wore pink bunny pyjamas, nightcap and all. Haruhi had almost literally dragged them out of bed to be here.

"Because he's one of us now. Besides, I kind of like the guy, even if he looks like a- Oh my God what have you done to yourself?" exclaimed Kaoru as he stood up abruptly. Yuki stood at the top of the staircase, his head hung as he rubbed his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping all too well over the last few days and this wasn't really going to help his insomnia. He trotted down the steps and stood in front of the twins.

"Reporting for damage control," he said in a bored tone of voice.

"Geez, all that lovely hair gone to waste... What did you do? Use a pair of garden shears?" asked Kaoru in disbelief as he tugged at the ends of the boy's hair, as if he was making sure the length wasn't an illusion.

"No..."

"You might as well have. What are we supposed to do with this?" Kaoru directed his last question at Kyoya and Haruhi, both of whom had now rejoined the club in the foyer.

"And is he seriously wearing bunny pyjamas?" asked Hikaru as he poked Yuki in the chest.

"You're one to talk," muttered Yuki as he looked pointedly at Hikaru's pyjamas which were covered in cats.

"Shut up. We can't cut hair and there are few people who can this late at night... We can't have you going to school tomorrow looking homeless though..."

"Then I won't go to school tomorrow."

"Out of the question," said Tamaki defiantly, "You do not skip school. Ever."

"He can wear my wig until he gets to school and you can have people over to cut his hair then," suggested Haruhi, "I have it at my place."

"Right, Haruhi's place then?" said the twins in unison, their faces lit in enthusiasm.

"Agreed. Kyoya, you have contacts, get hair specialists to come to Ouran at... Oh I think 9 am is a good time," ordered Tamaki as he too inspected Yuki's hair. Kyoya nodded silently before taking out his phone and making the call.

"Are you people done yet?" asked Yuki impatiently.

"Mm, come on, you're getting in the car," ordered Tamaki.

"What? No, not now! Not like _this_," protested the boy as he pointed out his clothing.

"No, you're right. Hikaru, Kaoru,"

"Yes Tono!" the pair stood to attention.

"Go to his room and find a hat that will cover _this,_" he ordered. His face was so serious that Yuki would have burst into laughter had he not been so annoyed.

"Don't go in my room! That's private!" he yelled as the boys ran up. Mori held Yuki back with a firm hand on the boy's head and in the end Yuki gave up.

"Why am I friends with you people again?" he muttered.

"I ask myself that same question every day," said Haruhi tiredly as she opened the door for them. Kyoya reappeared from the shadows.

"I've got a meeting arranged. They aren't happy but I called in a few favours."

"Good, this problem will be fixed before lunch tomorrow then," replied Tamaki in relief. Both Haruhi and Yuki rolled their eyes and grinned at each other.

A few moments later, after the twins had returned and they all sat in the limo; the car pulled out and headed towards the area Haruhi lived in.

Yuki scowled as he sat wedged between the twins, a bunny beanie pulled over his head, huge white ears sticking out the top of his head and everything. The twins were regaling tales of their travels through his wardrobe.

"And we found this yellow dress. _That was cute,_" teased the boys and Yuki felt the urge to punch them.

"Shut up. Did you have to pick this?" he asked as he tugged at the beanie, "A blanket would have done."

"But it suits your pyjamas," said Kaoru matter-of-factly.

"Where'd you get it anyway?" asked Hikaru as he tugged on an ear.

"One of my Aunt's friends gave it to me for my birthday while I was over there."

"Shh... Hunny's still sleeping and I'm pretty sure Tamaki is heading the same way," whispered Haruhi heatedly as she pointed to the two blondes in their corner of the limo. Hunny rested on Mori's lap and Tamaki was slowly falling asleep on Kyoya's shoulder. Kyoya just stared out of the window, his expression impossible to read.

"Alright, alright... We'll be quiet," muttered all three boys in unison and they gave each other grins when they realised what had happened.

As Yuki sat there watching the others silently, he began to realise he was a little jealous of Tamaki sleeping so peacefully there. He looked so comfortable and content. He sighed angrily, unhappy with the feelings and thoughts he was having, and crossed his arms, pulling his knees under his chin. Haruhi looked at him, obviously seeking a reason for his sudden escalation in anger, but he dismissed it. He just wanted his mind to go blank so he could have a bit of peace for a while.

Eventually the car reached its destination and Yuki grumbled dramatically about how far it was away from his house. The twins rolled their eyes and pushed him into Haruhi's house. Tamaki and Hunny had stayed in the car with Mori and Kyoya. Haruhi shut the door quietly behind her but grimaced when a disgruntled cough came from the living room and the light flicked on. Ranka Fujioka stood at the door. He looked haggard in his bed clothes and his long hair a mess.

"Where do you think you've been young lady?" he asked, a mix of worry and anger all over his features. He fussed over her, trying to see if she was hurt. She simply rolled her eyes and pointed the twins to her room. Yuki just stood there, eyeing Ranka curiously. He couldn't quite figured out this guy's deal and ended up deciding either he was gay or worked as a drag queen.

"Yuki here needed help, Dad," she said bluntly as she waved him away and grabbed Yuki by the hand, dragging him off to where she had sent the twins.

"My, my, so this is the Yuki you've been going on about," asked her father as he put a hand to his cheek. "I thought you said he had long hair."

"He did. Now we have to fix it," she explained half-heartedly, "It's best if you go back to bed Dad. This'll take a while."

"Alright, but don't make too much noise ah? I need my beauty sleep." The man smiled warmly at his daughter and she returned it before he turned to switched off the light and returned to his bed.

Haruhi pushed Yuki to the twins who caught him and pushed him down on the floor. She went to make them tea while they dug out her wig and laid it out for the next day.

"You really have made a mess of yourself," muttered Kaoru fussily as he inspected Yuki's hair again.

"Why didn't you just wait until you got a hairdresser's?" asked Hikaru, clearly annoyed that he had to be up and about so late at night.

"Hormones?" replied Yuki innocently and the twins blinked, clearly they had both thought of something. They leant in towards him cupped his face in their hands, coy smirks playing across their features.

"It's a pity you know, you looked quite beautiful with that hair," whispered Kaoru.

"Quite an amazing sight," breathed Hikaru as he stroked Yuki's cheek with his free hand.

"I'd love to see you in a dress."

Yuki swallowed nervously and tried to shuffle away from them.

"Hime," they whispered in unison and a faint blush spread across Yuki's cheeks. He managed to pull away from them enough so he could sit up straight. They sat up and looked at him curiously.

"Something happened between you and Kyoya a while ago. Don't deny it, we can tell."

"You kept death staring us whenever his name came up and until that afternoon when you broke down you could barely be in the same room as him."

"It's none of your business," hissed Yuki defensively just as a polite cough came from the door.

"What are you two doing to him?" asked Haruhi impatiently.

"Don't worry," said Yuki quickly as she came in and sat down, quietly discussing with Kaoru what they were going to do next. For the most part the twins sat silently, their gaze focused on Yuki. It was clear they were planning something. Once they were done, they quickly bade their farewells and got up to leave.

"It's late, I think it's time we went home," said Kaoru graciously as Hikaru yawned widely.

"What about me?" stammered Yuki uncomfortably.

"What about you? We aren't leaving you on your own, that's for sure. You're staying here until morning. The others will get your things from your house," explained Haruhi.

"B-but isn't this a little unconventional?"

"No?" replied the girl as she took the tea back to the kitchen. The twins grinned and waved their goodbyes. Yuki followed her helplessly, his slippered feet padding softly on the wood floor.

"You realise I am a guy right?"

"So? You don't look like one."

"That doesn't mean I'm not one."

She shrugged and went to her room where she began to pull out the bedding and spread it out on the floor.

"I'm going to get changed, make yourself comfortable."

"I'm not going to sleep in your room!" argued Yuki determinedly, a blush creeping across his face, "Let alone in the same bed! Or rather... on the same floor? Wow, you don't sleep on a proper mattress? I must give you a bed... when's your birthday?"

"I never asked you to sleep in the same bed," said the girl blankly, glancing at the floor. There were separate futons and pillows. "It's a spare."

"Oh..." he felt a bit sheepish after that and sat down on the bedding, his blush getting deeper, mostly from embarrassment.

She returned in an old t-shirt and shorts and flopped down on her bedding. "Besides, no one asked you to comment on how and where I sleep. You rich idiots think you know everything."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence there... Are you really alright with this? I'd be happy to sleep outside if you insist on my staying here," asked Yuki quietly as he got under the covers. He turned so he faced her.

"I have to make sure you don't do anything dangerous with the sharp things outside. Besides, I'm not uncomfortable like this. Just because you're a guy doesn't mean that immediately you're going to do inappropriate things while in the same room as a sleeping girl. I mean people sleep in buses and planes on long trips and they're surrounded by members of the opposite sex. What's to stop them from going mad and doing things they shouldn't?"

"But you don't even know me all that well. I could be one of those sex predator guys who has a fetish for cross-dressing. Why didn't I just stay over one of the guys' houses?"

"Yes, you could, but I think I can figure out if I can trust you or not. Besides, Dad's in the other room. You try anything and I'm pretty sure he'll get pretty violent," she paused to look at Yuki and it was clear she wasn't joking about her dad, "You're here because firstly I have the wig, secondly I don't trust the others to look after you and make sure you don't kill yourself, thirdly you've been really weird around the others lately and fourth the only other person willing to let you stay the night was Kyoya but like I said, you've been weird around them lately. And I don't trust him. Simple really."

"How do I know _you_ won't do anything?" he asked with a grin.

"Exactly. It's a basis of trust," she said with a smile and Yuki laughed softly.

"What's been going on with you lately?" she asked after a short pause, a serious tone in her voice.

He sighed and rolled onto his back, putting his hands behind his head. "I'm emotionally unstable?" he paused and sighed, "There's just been a lot going on really. New school, mum dying, yadda, yadda."

"There's more to it than that."

"You know what? You and Kyoya are a little too... _perceptive_ for your own good," he muttered and she shot him a confused look. "I-I... Something happened with Kyoya and we uh... had a fight. It's nothing, I don't really want to talk about it."

"What happened?"

"Didn't I just say I didn't want to talk about it?"

She shrugged and grunted in agreement. "Fine but you shouldn't bottle things up. One day you're going to explode."

"More proof that you and Kyoya are sometimes too similar."

"Don't compare me to him," she said grumpily as she rolled over and snuggled into her pillow

Yuki laughed and settled back. He didn't expect to sleep but eventually his eyes drooped and he managed to doze off into what would prove to be his deepest sleep in a long time.

* * *

Author's nonsensical babbling: Another chapter done and dusted~ I think as an writer I'm very lazy in that I pretty much just let the characters do whatever they want really... I know that might not make much sense but yeah... I'm just letting the story drift without a set idea though I've figured a rough plan of what's going to happen. I know a few people might not like it and I know I may not give Kyoya the best portrayal as I can but I will try my best. I also want to write a fanfiction for another series but I haven't quite decided what yet. I'm tossing up between Fruits Basket, Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland because I can't get into a rut with OHSHC. I'm not entirely sure why I began with a series I know so little about but I've come to learn a lot more about it so maybe it's a good thing? Anyway, I hope you liked it, or tolerated it at the least :P

Reviews, tips, constructive criticism etc are all loved and flamers will be sent speak to Mama Umbridge, or Heechul-oppa. Whoever is more likely to yell and scream at you.


	4. The Princess' Reign Begins With a Choice

**{Undercover Princess}**

_.::Round and round the garden goes the teddy bear... One step, two step, what will he find there?::._

* * *

Chapter 4} **The Princess' Reign Begins With a Choice**

-By Charles-

* * *

_He was spinning on a glittering pedestal. Strange strings seemed to be attached to his skin, like they were a part of him. Someone was tugging on them, making him move the way they wanted. Everything was dark except for the spotlight that shone down on him. He could hear jeering, hissing... he didn't want to be there. A mask covered his face but he knew people could see him, all of him and he knew they didn't like it._

"_Who do you think you are, pretending to be a girl like that?"_

"_You make me sick. Or does your mummy have a fetish or something? Huh? Mummy's boy?"_

"_Where's your pride as a man?"_

_And then the jeering stopped and he fell to his knees, the strings suddenly released. Cool, soft hands removed the ornate mask from his face and he was staring up into big eyes that looked like melted chocolate. Another set of hands helped him up. These hands were large, strong, safe. He looked at the girl in long flowing dress and short brown hair and then looked at the young man with the stern look and steely, black gaze, with his safe hands, dressed in a sharp suit and he had never felt more confused. The girl enveloped him in a soft embrace and the boy stroked his hair gently, his eyes softening slightly as a small smile broke his emotionless gaze. The girl let go and spun him away from her and into the boy's arms before he was spun back into hers._

"_You have to choose," she whispered in a haunting voice, as she spun around him and gave his hand back to the boy. As he spun he realised that he was dressed only in a pair of white shorts. A faint blush coloured his cheeks and he suddenly wished he wore the mask again._

_The black haired boy took him in his arms again and brought his lips close to his ear. "You can't have both... you love one more than the other, but who?" he sent him away again and this time he stopped in the middle where he quickly fell the ground without their support. Try as he might but he could only lie there in a crumpled heap._

"_But I don't want to choose..." whispered Yuki, "I don't want to choose..."_

"I don't want to choose," pleaded Yuki into his pillow.

"Wakey, wakey~" called a voice and Yuki groaned as he rolled over, covering his head with the pillow.

"Go away," he moaned as he was dragged by his elbows to sit up and a bowl of rice was pushed under his nose. His eyes opened halfway and eyed the food suspiciously. Normally for breakfast he had a croissant with ham and cheese, not common _rice_...

"Where am I?" he asked in a daze as he looked as his surroundings. He was in a small room, lying on a futon and the sunlight was pouring in through a window. Another set of bedding had been folded and put away near the cupboard, waiting to be put back.

"You're at the Fujioka's house Yuki-kun!" said the voice again in a sing song way as the stranger put out a small table and laid out some food to go with the rice. It smelt good but Yuki's barely awake mind thought it best to treat it with caution.

He watched the woman serving him. She looked familiar but he couldn't guess why. She was dressed in a white suit dress and wore bright red lipstick. In a way she looked professional but not in the world he was used to. More... middle class.

"Who are you?" he asked as he finally decided to take the rice and eat. He'd woken up enough now to remember he was in Haruhi's house.

"Ranka-san to you young man," she said with a coy smile and he raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that the name of Haruhi's _dad_? So you _are_ a drag queen then..."

The apparent man balked a little and gave Yuki a slightly annoyed look.

"Yes, but I heard you weren't exactly the most manly of men either. Brought up as a girl I hear. Not very polite though... That's the rich for you I guess. Geez you really made a mess of your hair."

Yuki gave him a withering look as he patted his head and realised the beanie had fallen off. Ranka grinned in response.

"Morning Yuki," said Haruhi pleasantly as she walked in dressed in her school uniform.

"And the trio of cross-dressers is complete!" called Ranka in a sing-song voice. "I'm off to work Haru-chan! Have a good day!"

"Bye Dad," she called as he left.

"So... when are my 'groomers' arriving?" asked Yuki sarcastically as he finished stuffing the rice in his mouth. He'd managed to pull his hair into a haphazard set of pigtails and had been so busy eating once he realised how hungry he was that he hadn't noticed the amount of rice stuck to his face.

Haruhi laughed brightly as she crouched in front of him and tried to wipe away some of the grains.

"How they expect you to live in that house on your own I'll never know," she said cheerfully.

"I have maids to look after me so I'll probably live," replied Yuki dismissively as he looked at her. It was at this time that the two realised they were close enough that their noses were nearly touching.

Yuki stared in wonder. Her eyes were really very pretty this close and he found the shape of her mouth inviting.

"Haruhi I-" he began before pausing and then closing the gap between them, pressing his lips gently against hers.

She pulled away quickly and looked at him in surprise. "What was that for?" she asked quietly.

"Has anyone told you you're beautiful?" asked Yuki quietly as he picked up the breakfast things and stacked them back on the tray.

She stood up, not giving any indication of an answer. "Um, the others will be here in about 10 minutes. If you wanted to have a shower the bathroom is just down the hall and there are fresh towels and stuff on the bench. Here, I'll take that," she murmured as she took the things and retreated to the kitchen.

Yuki sighed and raked his hand through his hair. Why did he always seem to ruin things with kisses? He replayed the memory of the contact in his mind and he suddenly came to a realisation that he wasn't too happy about. He sighed again before getting up to take that offered shower. He'd need time to think through what had just happened and he didn't want to do it so close to Haruhi. Why had he done it?

Once in the bathroom, he stripped and stepped under the steaming water. It felt nice to just relax like that. He stayed there for a while until he was snapped from his reverie by the sound of the door opening.

"We're coming in~" sang the Twins as they shut the door loudly behind them. Haruhi was banging the door loudly yelling at them to leave Yuki alone.

_Isn't that nice. She's still defending me even though I took advantage of her..._

The boy in question turned off the water and grabbed the closest towel, desperately wrapping it around himself before the twins had time to rip open the shower curtain.

"What the hell!" screamed Yuki as they pulled him out of the shower and sat him down on the closed toilet. He didn't feel comfortable in the slightest as he sat there with only a towel around his hips. Water ran down his bare back in drips and his hair, though still dry, flopped in his face.

"We're here to dress you silly," said Kaoru cheerfully as he produced something puffy and yellow.

"That's not my uniform..." whispered Yuki dangerously.

"No, it's not. Call it an experiment if you will. We're going to make you wear the girl's uniform. Just as well we found a spare, brand new one in your wardrobe. You really were considering pretending to be a girl at Ouran weren't you?" He shot them a look of hatred as they threw him his underwear and he only just managed to get the Twins out of the small room so he could put them on. Once he was done they forced themselves into the room again and despite his protests they began to drag the dress over his head.

"You two are the biggest bastards I've ever met!" screamed Yuki in a muffled voice as they pulled the dress down and began buttoning up the back.

"Ooh harsh," grinned Hikaru and Yuki glared daggers at him.

"You're the worse out of the two. At least Kaoru knows when to stop. Most of the time."

The twins stopped abruptly and looked at him incredulously. "What was that?"

"Oh don't play coy with me Hikaru. You know what I'm talking about."

"No, not that. You just called us by our names. You actually got it right."

"It wasn't that hard once I got to know you. Hikaru is more of a jerk than Kaoru. There are some things that set you apart. You're not entirely the same." He began tousling out his chopped hair so that it didn't stick under his collar.

After that, the twins seemed a lot less forceful. They didn't say much and seemed to be thinking deeply. Yuki didn't mind, after all, he wasn't exactly happy with them. Eventually it came time to put on the wig. They brought in a stool and told him to sit in front of the mirror. Quickly they set to work pinning, brushing and arranging the wig on his head.

"You look so much like Haruhi in this wig," said Kaoru with a raised eyebrow. He smiled at Yuki who returned it quickly, happy to be on good terms with the twins for once.

"Too much like Haruhi if you ask me," grumbled Hikaru. Yuki turned to look at him curiously.

"I get the feeling you don't like me much," he said and Hikaru frowned and looked away from him.

"It's not that Hikaru doesn't like you... It's just..." Kaoru faltered as Hikaru shot him a dangerous look.

"He's jealous of how close I'm getting to Haruhi?" he asked as he turned back to the mirror to inspect his reflection. "Don't be. You have far more of a chance than I do."

Hikaru blushed and he excused himself with a grunt. Kaoru sighed and gave Yuki an apologetic smile.

"You know... we spent so long having people just seeing us as a set. People rarely see us as more than that. When we were young we would almost always be looked after by nannies because our parents were so busy. They could never tell us apart. They were always cooing over us and saying how cute we were but they never bothered to look further and get to know us. We were just a novelty to them. We began playing this game with them. We asked each and every nanny 'which twin am I?' and not one got it right. Even in school no one ever got it right. It wasn't until Haruhi that someone really treated us like separate people."

"I can't imagine it'd be much fun to never be your own person, be able to stand on your own. But then again, you always have each other. When you're together you're whole. Some people will kill to have that kind of love and support. It must be hard to let people in with that kind of bond. Haruhi's made a huge impression on Hikaru huh?"

Kaoru nodded and Yuki wondered if he was sad or glad that he and his twin were growing like they were. "I'd better go after him. I think you can do the rest yourself right?" he patted Yuki on the shoulder and quickly followed Hikaru.

Yuki, once satisfied with his appearance, stalked out into the living room. He'd wanted to get away from looking like a girl yet here he was dressing like one again. It was like he was back at square one. He shook his head incredulously and grimaced when he saw Tamaki look at him in awe and smile like someone who had just been given an expensive present.

"You truly are the 'Hime' of the Host Club," he sang happily as he came over to the boy and spun him quickly to inspect him.

"You know this completely defeats the purpose of me cutting my hair right? This isn't permanent."

"That's a pity you know. Anyway, you only have to wear it for today. Call it a publicity stunt if you wish."

The twins looked at him with small smiles, Hunny grinned, Mori just looked his usual terrifying self, Haruhi... wasn't looking at him and Kyoya... perhaps it was a trick of the light but for a moment Yuki thought the boy was blushing. Whatever reason, it seemed the bespectacled figure could hardly keep his eyes off him. Yuki tried to ignore this. He remembered his dream and the first thought he had had after kissing Haruhi and the truth he had discovered and that, coupled with Kyoya's staring, was starting to feel incredibly stifling. His mind was so clouded with thoughts as the group clambered into someone's limo and drove towards the school that he didn't notice Tamaki saying his name repeatedly.

"Yuki-kun! Oi!" prodded the King and Yuki looked at him in a half daze.

"What?" he asked dangerously and Tamaki actually looked terrified for a moment.

"I was just saying that we're doing another theme for today's activities. It's a royal theme. We've got you down as a-" began Tamaki before Yuki interrupted him with a raised hand.

"I... don't want to know. Just tell me when the time comes."

Tamaki sulked for the rest of the trip. In fact hardly anyone seemed to want to say much.

"Do you think Yuki is AB too?" whispered the twins to Tamaki and they all shuddered as they stared at the boy-girl.

The car quickly arrived at the school. Whispers spread through the halls as they students laid eyes on the mysterious new girl hanging out with the Host Club. The group made their way to the Third Music Room and were greeted by a three person team of hairdressers.

"Right. Where is this mess you told me about?" asked a man clad only in black and who seemed to be in charge of the operation.

"Here~" sang the twins as they pushed Yuki forward. He stumbled and only just managed to avoid falling on the hairdresser.

"Wig?" asked the man and everyone nodded, "Right then, get in the chair!" ordered the man and Yuki hurriedly obeyed. The two women accompanying him quickly began removing the wig. All three gasped in horror at the sight before them.

"Such beauty, but such stupidity at the same time. What have you done to yourself fair maiden?" asked the man in a voice that reminded Yuki of an owner cooing over a dog. He quickly responded with a frown. He could hear the rest of the club sniggering when they realised that the hairdresser thought Yuki was indeed a girl.

"I'm not a '_maiden_', I'm a boy," grunted Yuki with annoyance and glared at the man as if daring him to deny it. He was surprised by a thin smile from the man.

"Oh. I probably shouldn't be surprised." His attitude seemed to change complete as he ordered the women to fetch different tools to beginning cutting Yuki's hair.

"Right, leave it to me OK. I'll have you looking wonderful in no time," a look of pure seriousness etched his face as he began to cut and Yuki just shut his eyes and hoped for the best.

* * *

An hour later Yuki sat looking at his reflection and a sense of relief swept over him. Not only did his hair look good but he could have actually passed as a boy. Well, not in the dress, even now he looked effeminate and he had to remind himself that would likely never change. His hair reached just above his shoulders and a fringe swept across his forehead. He smiled as he ran a hand through his hair. His head felt so light.

"Thanks," he said to the man responsible for this change.

"Don't thank me. It was a necessity. Come on girls. We have places we need to be!"

The trio packed up quickly and before the Host Club knew it, they were gone.

The members of the Host Club fussed over their 'Hime' but they didn't stay around for long once they realised how late they were for class. Haruhi had left as soon as he had sat in the 'operating chair' whereas Kyoya was the only one who stayed behind.

"You look good you know," he said and Yuki thought, for the second time that day that the boy looked a little abashed.

"Uh... thanks," murmured the boy in reply as he collected his school things. The memory of their kiss was still fresh in his mind. "I'd better get to class."

"Mm, good idea," replied Kyoya, regaining his composure as he watched the boy leave, the skirts of his dress swishing with his movement. Unwanted thoughts clouded his mind and he coughed as he cleaned his glasses.

"Why is this happening?" groaned Kyoya angrily as he slumped into chair. He rubbed his temples and stared ominously at the floor in front of him. He didn't need this. He was just protective of him. Because of what he had been through, that's all. There was nothing more to it than that. He hoped.

* * *

Yuki smiled politely as he walked through the halls of school. It seemed lunch had only just started and he'd missed his first class. It had been math though so he was alright for the moment. People ogled him at every corner and it took all his patience not to scream at them to mind their own business.

At first they didn't recognise him, wondering if he was a new girl. A few of the guys had come and try to hit on him but he'd politely turned them away and walked on. Then some of the girls started recognising him and then the school was in an uproar. There was a boy dressed like a girl and some people were incredibly confused.

"Do you think it's a stunt by the Host Club?" whispered a girl to her friend as he passed.

"He's so pretty... I'm jealous," giggled another girl.

"Oh no... He cut his lovely hair..." sighed another.

"Jeez, for a guy he sure is pretty," said a boy in Yuki's grade, almost jealously, as if he couldn't believe it.

"No sense of decency," grumbled one of the senior boys. That broke Yuki's last nerve and he turned on him.

"That's rich seeming as 5 minutes ago you were hitting on me," he said, unable to keep the venom from dripping through his words. The older boy just sneered and turned away while some of his friends broke into fits of laughter.

He shivered in annoyance and kept walking. Everywhere he went, the halls would go quiet and the whispers would start. He was sick of it really. The Host Club better get what they want from their stunt. He had never felt more used in his life.

He needed to talk to Haruhi. It had been stupid kissing her like that, but at least it made his choice obvious. It just so happened he was in luck. Up ahead he saw her familiar shape and a glad smile broke across his features. Quickly, he broke into a run and some of his audience clustered to get a glimpse of his slender legs as he ran.

_Perverts,_ he thought but he didn't stop running as he grabbed Haruhi's hand.

"Quick, I need to talk to you."

"Uh, no. I-I'm busy!" protested the girl.

"That can wait. I've been waiting all day to get a chance to talk to you I'm not going to give up now.' And with that he raced off, Haruhi reluctantly in tow.

"What do you think he's doing with Fujioka-san?" murmured a girl as the crowd watched the Hosts race out of the hall.

"I hope something naughty!" squealed another and the rumours started up again.

* * *

Yuki finally stopped to catch his breath in the school's magnificent greenhouse. Tropical plants grew everywhere and there were even exotic birds flitting around.

"What do you want?" asked Haruhi unhappily. It was clear she was uncomfortable being around Yuki and that hurt him a little.

"About this morning, I just wanted to say I'm-"

"Don't worry about," she said abruptly, cutting off Yuki midsentence.

"Let me finish! I wanted to say sorry for starters. I'd had this dream... I was confused. Don't get me wrong, I love you, but I don't... This is why I needed to talk to you. I wanted to talk to you about happened with Kyoya because... I need help."

Haruhi looked at him curiously. "You don't have to be sorry or proclaim love for me to make up for it. To be honest, I never really saw myself with you anyway. I'm not exactly all about love if you hadn't noticed."

Yuki raised an eyebrow but continued with what he was going to say.

"Back after my first day Hosting, I fell asleep in the Host room."

"Yeah, I remember that. Tamaki-senpai kept trying to stick pencils up your nose. Kyoya-senpai kept telling him off."

"Really? That idiot... uh, anyway... after you guys left, we had a bit of an argument and... somehow that led to us... kissing."

Haruhi's eyes widened and she sat down in one of the garden chairs deciding this was going to be a long conversation. He followed suit. "Really? You actually did that... and he let you?" her shocked face amused Yuki but he needed to get this out before he got distracted again.

"No. He kissed me. Um... like what I did to you," her eyes widened further and she scratched her chin thoughtfully, "I shouldn't have done that... But it gave me an answer I've needed for the past week. I love you, but also... even though I don't know why or how, I love Kyoya." It felt like a weight being lifted off his shoulders as he murmured those last few sentences. She smiled at him and took one of his hands in support.

"So what was your answer?" she asked.

"That I love you as if you were my sister. I've never really had a female in my life that offered as much support as you have. My aunt was estranged and didn't talk to me much; my mum was always in and out of hospital. Not to mention she made me a girl. You're like this... guardian angel I suppose. When I kissed you... it didn't feel like that when I had kissed Kyoya. It almost felt forced... it didn't feel right I suppose. Not like with Kyoya. No offense meant." He added the last bit hastily, worried that he had in fact offended her. She offered an encouraging smile and he slumped in relief. He was incredibly tense, every muscle was taught with worry and uncertainty.

"But... he's a guy. I... can't... Can I?" he asked worriedly and Haruhi frowned a little.

"Does it really matter? From my point of view, if you love someone so much, does it matter what gender they are?"

"Well it does if you want children," joked Yuki half-heartedly.

"Ok, it matters there I guess but that's not the point. Do you love Kyoya?" It was obvious in her expression how odd she felt saying that. "Though I'll never understand why you would have feelings for someone so evil..."

"I think so." He grinned despite himself.

"You need to make sure. This is big for you. Don't rush into it but if you decide that you truly do love him then... take a leap of faith. You only live once. It's obvious he cares for you. He's constantly looking out for you, even when you first joined."

"But why... I'd never met him before now..."

"Who knows. That guy's always got weird intentions, no one really know what's going on in his head."

Yuki gave her a grateful smile and she returned it. "Come on, classes start soon."

* * *

**Author's nonsensical babbling:** Thanks for reading another chapter of Undercover Princess~ I hope you liked it. Yuki's made some big decisions but how will they turn out in the end? Stayed tuned to find out! Remember, reviews are loved, constructive criticism is gold, tips and help are brilliant and flamers will face the wrath of Lady Hee-Hee!

Oh and by the way, for some odd reason, the whole time I was writing this, I was imaging Yuki looking a lot like Taemin-oppa from Shinee :P If you don't know who that is, look him up and yeah, Yuki's hair is a bit like that. In fact, Yuki just looks like a super, super girly version of Min-oppa :P Super. Even if Min-oppa already looks a bit like a girl :\

I just realised I have a bit of a thing for guys who don't seem very... manly... It's... a little scary to be honest. And now I have Macho Man stuck in my head... T^T

~('.'~) Macho, macho man. I wanna be a macho man. Macho, macho man. Macho, macho man! (~'.')~

And damn it's been a long time since I updated... sorry about that... School's a pain but in 2 weeks time I'll have 2 months off to write :D I'll be updating Doki Doki soon


	5. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**{Undercover Princess}**

_.::Round and round the garden goes the teddy bear... One step, two step, what will he find there?::._

* * *

Chapter 5} **Something Wicked This Way Comes**

-By Charles-

* * *

"_Never, ever reject me. Don't even dare. Can't you see we were meant to be? If I can't have you, then no one can. I'll rip your flesh until the red of your blood washes away that filthy snow white skin of yours. Just like a fairytale. We'll be together as one..."_

* * *

After a couple more hours' pain enduring scrutiny from his classmates, Yuki finally got the chance to change out of the dress during Host Club activities. The theme was centred on Royalty and he saw some of the other Hosts dressed as princes. He excitedly ran to the dressing room with a note with his name on it and shut the curtain behind him, hoping desperately for the chance to play a prince instead of a princess. Haruhi entered the stall next to him and both groaned collectively.

He stuck his head out through the gap in the curtain and looked at the twins, who stood in all their Prince-like finery, a look of pure disgust on his face.

"Are you honestly making me wear this?" he asked and they grinned in joy. "Hey, we planned this before you cut your hair, don't hate us just because you forgot to update everyone on your mental state. Just get dressed, it's for the fans."

He retreated back into the dressing room and undressed. It seemed the fates were poking fun at him again as he looked at the glittering Princess' gown hung up on a hook. He had to admit it looked lovely, all midnight blue silk and black corsetry but he still didn't want to wear it.

_Oh... crap. It's got a corset. That's going to be fun to wear..._

Next to it hung a wig that was even longer than the hair he used to have. It curled and twisted elegantly in waves all the way down to the floor. Judging by the length, it would likely trail on the ground once he wore it.

He pulled the dress over his head and buttoned up what he could. He tried to do up the corset on his own but failed miserably. Poking his head out he hoped he'd find the twins still there but no luck. He stalked out of the stall and ordered someone come help him, looking incredibly undignified with the long sleeves slipping off his shoulders and the front of the dress sagging to reveal his bare chest because he hadn't managed to reach the buttons on his back. A faint blush spread over his cheeks as he tried to tug the back of the dress so that it wouldn't fall off him.

"Ah! Don't tug at it like that! You'll ruin the silk!" whined Kaoru as he raced towards the boy and started helping him tie the corset and button the dress. Once he was done, he ushered the boy back to the dressing rooms to help him with the wig and to put a delicate silver circlet around his head. It seemed Haruhi was having a similar problem with the corset and Kaoru went in to help her too, though he was clearly a little uncomfortable with assisting her.

Back in the Host room, after Yuki had made his appearance as the half dressed princess, the rest of the Hosts were staring at Kyoya who had just about bolted straight out of his seat.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Tamaki curiously as the unsettled Kyoya sunk back into his seat, his face a little flushed.

"Nothing. Mind your own business."

The other Hosts stared at him until the two 'princesses' emerged from the dressing area on the arms of Prince Kaoru. Haruhi wore a similar dress, only hers was made of a subtle lilac with a gold bodice. She too wore a wig and sheer gold train trailed from a chain around her forehead and down her back to the floor.

"Beautiful..." breathed Tamaki and Hikaru at the same time as they stared transfixed at Haruhi. She rolled her eyes and looked down at the ground. Yuki clasped his hands in front of him and he too stared at the ground, refusing to look up the others. He'd seen Haruhi and knew he'd look mediocre next to her. He hoped he did. He didn't want to look better than a girl. She walked over and plopped into a sofa, wincing a little from the constriction of the dress. Yuki stayed standing and drifted around the heavily gilded and glittery room. Every once in a while he'd look up and find Kyoya staring at him and he could help the faint blush creeping into his cheeks. Some of the others were whispering and looking at him like he was their pride and joy, which bothered him to no end. The boy couldn't understand why they were giving him such looks when clearly they already had Haruhi to doll up. She looked positively radiant in the dress and as everyone believed her to be a boy he began to wonder why they needed him. He kept wandering to avoid awkward banter until the first few guests began to enter the room.

"Welcome!" sang the group and they went off to their usual places. Yuki sat with Haruhi again and the girls 'ooed' and 'aahd' over their dresses.

They spent the afternoon in relative peace, playing hide and seek, drinking coffee, tea, eating cake. It was just another theme afternoon. The only difference was the huge amount of new customers after Yuki's little 'stunt' as a girl and his repeat of it again as a princess. People had started debating if he was a boy or a girl again, some were wondering if he was both. There were even guys mingling among the girls surrounding Yuki and Haruhi. In fact, their table was by far the most popular.

It wasn't until the customers started to leave did the Hosts sense trouble. Three tall, imposing senior boys crowded Yuki, who had been separated from Haruhi in the crowds and they weren't being kind.

"Pretty thing aren't you?" whispered the tallest, who also seemed to the ringleader. He looked a bit brutish and Yuki wondered if he was only in Ouran because of his 'connections', like the Yakuza for instance. He scowled at the tall boy and looked away. His two friends sniggered as he yanked Yuki's chin with a rough hand so that he faced him again.

"I've heard a lot of rumours about you. No one's all that sure of what lies under," he paused to trace a finger down Yuki's slender waist, "There," he finished with his finger hovering dangerously close of Yuki's 'nether-regions'. "Would you mind if I found out?" Yuki yanked away from the boy and tried to get as far away from him as possible.

"Piss off," he hissed and the trio burst into laughter.

"The princess has a pretty loud bark, but is it as good as her bite?"

Memories began to resurface, memories he had tried so hard to forget, to bury, to make sure he never remembered again. Cold sweat broke out over his skin and his skin crawled with the memory. No, he didn't want to think about them. He didn't want to remember that time.

"_Just like a fairytale."_

The twins caught him as he stumbled and took protective stances around Yuki, as did Mori and Hunny. Haruhi stayed behind Yuki and rested a steadying hand on his shoulder to keep him from flying off the handle. The room was near empty by now, save for the three guys and the Hosts.

"What? Haven't you heard of sharing? Or does your _whore_ work exclusively for you guys? It looks like you have two of them; why not let others have some fun? Man you guys have some fucked up fetishes," they jeered, the ringleader leering at Haruhi as well now.

Out of nowhere, Kyoya shot forward, looking livid as he launched himself at the boy.

"How dare you," he hissed as he took the boys collar in his fist and launched his fist, only just stopping before impact as Tamaki and Mori tried to restrain the normally stoic young man.

"Stop it," grunted Tamaki, "They're not worth your time."

Reluctantly, the black haired boy released his grip on the other and the three fled from the room, clearly terrified that they had angered a member of the Ootori clan.

"What was that?" asked Tamaki, clearly quite angry himself, though who his anger was aimed at wasn't clear. His eyes were darting from the Hosts gathered in the middle of the room, to Kyoya seething in the corner of the room to the door where the three bullies had just escaped.

"What, was, that?" repeated the blonde again slowly. This time he anger was definitely aimed at Kyoya, which had to be rare because the Hosts were staring at the blonde. Yuki wondered if he _ever_ got angry.

"Didn't you hear them?" asked Kyoya in reply as he cleaned his glasses. It seemed he had managed to get his anger in check, much to Yuki's relief. He still felt cold and sick inside from how similar the scene had been to something from his nightmares but for the moment he concentrated on what was going on between Kyoya and Tamaki.

"I heard them and what they were saying was vile, but what you did was out of hand! Do you think it would help anyone if you had beaten them to a pulp? Huh? The Host Club would have suffered because of that. What if they run and tell that one of us tried to hit them? They're all sons of Yakuza members. They could get us all killed if they wanted," Tamaki was nearly screaming and for once, he seemed totally serious. It was the first time Yuki realised just how much he cared about this club.

"That's easily fixable. I have wide influence. People are already working on hushing them up. But so what if the Host Club was jeopardised? Yuki and Haruhi were pretty much threatened with rape. _Rape, _Tamaki. Does that mean nothing to you?" his voice was dangerously quiet as he levelled the blonde with a stony glare. "I was merely protecting them. I recall you doing a similar thing in the name of Haruhi earlier this year. _Twice_. How is that different?"

That stopped Tamaki in his tracks. In fact everyone seemed to snap and look Kyoya. It seemed Yuki was missing something here. Yuki even thought for a moment Haruhi was blushing but he then thought that was absurd.

Tamaki studied Kyoya's face and a look of understanding dawned on his features. Kyoya frowned and Yuki wondered again what was going on between those two. Tamaki sighed and shrugged.

"There's nothing we can do now. Everyone better change and go home. It's getting late. I'm sure everyone just wants to rest right? Uh, but for safety's sake, we'll take shifts guarding you guys around school. Hikaru and Kaoru you guard them in the mornings. Hunny, Mori, you two guard them at midday and to their first afternoon lesson. Kyoya and I will guard them between their afternoon classes and after school. You will be escorted everywhere. Haruhi, I don't think you're in as much danger as threats were mainly made at Yuki but even so, we'll take turns escorting you home. Yuki, do you have anyone looking after you at home?" Tamaki was in full commanding mode and definitely wasn't joking around today.

"Uh... only a maid but she usually leaves at about 9 at night," murmured Yuki.

"Alright, then we'll need someone to stay the night for the rest of the week until we can make sure those jerks won't try and break in. Haruhi is pretty safe because all the commoners seem to live in densely packed areas. If you scream, someone will be there to make sure you're OK. Yuki lives on a huge empty estate. Who lives closest?"

Kyoya raised his hand but refused to make eye contact with anyone. Yuki swallowed nervously. He wasn't sure if he wanted Kyoya staying the week after everything had happened.

"This is going overboard, I'm sure they won't attack me in my own home," protested the boy.

"Maybe so, but I remind you, they're closely connected to the Yakuza. I doubt this is the last we'll hear of it."

In the end everyone seemed to have calmed down and they all wandered off to change and make their ways home. The twins were taking Haruhi home. Tamaki had offered his services as a body-guard rather dramatically and Haruhi had completely turned him down. He now sat sulking in a dark corner.

Yuki sighed as he sat in the dressing rooms, his back to the large mirror. The boy hadn't made any effort to change. He didn't know what was going on anymore. He just wanted a quiet life without hassle. In the last month he had joined a Host Club, kissed a guy, been orphaned, kissed a girl, been felt up by a bunch of thugs and now Kyoya was staying the week at his place. In fact Kyoya approached him now and say beside him on a stool.

"Doesn't Ootori group have a big supply of bodyguards that you could dispatch?" asked Yuki quietly, studying his nails.

"Yes, but Tamaki insists I stay. I've got a small group guarding both yours and Haruhi's homes now but he thinks you'll feel better if a friend stays with you. I can get someone else to do it if you don't want me."

"No, no, I want you. I... want you..." his voice trailed off and he looked up at the other boy. He was staring at him again and Yuki sighed.

"Why do you keep doing that?" he asked.

"Doing what?"

"Staring at me like that."

"Have you seen your reflection?" he asked and he pulled Yuki up and spun him around to look at the large mirror. Yuki blinked in surprise. Kaoru had done a fantastic job. Even after all this time, his makeup was still fairly intact. His eyes shone from beneath thick, well curled eyelashes, his cheeks were rosy, though if that was makeup, Yuki wasn't sure. His lips were glossed and plump, and his hair, though a wig, curled and tumbled around his face, giving the appeal that his face was softer and less angular.

The dress fit him well. The use of the corset gave the impression of curves that he knew he didn't have. He truly looked like a girl, and a pretty one at that. He looked at Kyoya curiously to see that the boy's normally stern gaze was soft.

"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?" he asked softly as he gently took the boy's chin in his slender hand and brought his face closer to his.

Yuki frowned petulantly and looked away, unable to hide the red in his cheeks, aware that he had used that same line only this morning.

"What if I don't want to be beautiful? You realise I don't want to be a girl right? You realise under this I am a boy?" he asked in return as he motioned to his body.

"I don't care," whispered Kyoya with a small, devious smile as he brushed his lips softly against Yuki's. The younger boy tried to push Kyoya away but was stopped by a firm hand on his back.

"It's taken me so long to realise I don't care if you're a boy or a girl. All I know is that I love you. That I want you," he whispered huskily and Yuki stared wide eyed up at his senior. "Please don't make me wait any longer."

It was what Yuki wanted to hear, all that he needed to hear, but as he looked at himself in the mirror and then at Kyoya, who for some reason unknown had decided to love him, he couldn't bring himself to accept it. How could he know what he wanted right now? How could he know that Kyoya wasn't just tricking him. Why had he suddenly changed his mind? No, he needed more time. With an apologetic look, that he knew probably looked more like a grimace, he ducked away from the older boy and dashed out the door, leaving Kyoya standing there looking mildly annoyed. Tamaki and Haruhi entered with worried looks on their faces.

"What did you do?" asked Tamaki accusingly.

"It seems... we've had a misunderstanding. It's nothing. You two better go home. It's getting late. I'll go and try to track Yuki down. He shouldn't be out there on his own like this. Not after this afternoon."

Kyoya's head swam as he ran through the halls. What he had just done had been one of the most spontaneous things he had ever done in his life. He wasn't one to take a leap like he had without completely planning and analysing a situation from every possible angle to make sure he reaped the biggest reward. When he was first faced with the problem of Yuki, he had discovered he couldn't analyse this like he did most things. He remembered the first time he laid eyes on Yuki and every encounter since then. He remembered the feeling of his lips, and the feel of his skin. He realised that after that first kiss he knew he had already signed himself to the boy. He wished that wasn't true but he could never deny it now.

* * *

The day was quickly drawing to a close. The sun was sinking below the horizon and tinging the sky a lovely, deep red. Yuki sighed as he watched the sky. He was stretched out on a soft patch of grass in the middle of a sprawling lawn. Ever since he was a child he had always loved gardens. Being surrounded by quiet, like he was now, made him feel so at peace. He started sorting through all the thoughts and questions in his head and frowned as a memory from his childhood resurfaced. He hadn't thought of that boy since he was a kid. He wondered why he thought of him now.

"_Are you alright?"_

_Yuki whimpered as he looked up at a young boy. He looked a little older than him, maybe seven or eight, two years older than Yuki was. He looked nice. He wore a suit and his dark hair was neatly combed out of his face. _

"_No... my daddy's gone away and mummy says he's not coming back... But I want my daddy... There are monsters under my bed that only he knows how to get rid of. Mummy doesn't know about them see, they were mine and daddy's secret. How am I supposed to go to sleep now?" more tears started falling from his eyes and he buried his face in his knees. They were under a tree, away from the rest of the people attending the wake. His mother had made him wear a dress but he had secretly put shorts on underneath without her noticing. He didn't understand why she wanted him to wear a dress but he didn't want to upset her. She'd been looking ever so sad._

_The boy sat down next to him and put a comforting arm around Yuki's shivering shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll make sure the monsters don't get you. I used to have monsters under my bed too, but I learnt how to make sure they didn't get to me. I'll keep you safe."_

_Yuki smiled up at the boy and snuggled into the crook of his shoulder, sniffling as he watched the people drifting around, making small talk and giving their condolences. "Thank you. You promise right. You will come and help me right?"_

_The boy nodded and patted Yuki's head. "I promise."_

_And with that, the little boy fell asleep against the young boy in the suit._

Yuki frowned as he opened his eyes. After that day, he had never seen that boy again. He'd never kept his promise to help get rid of the monsters under his bed. Yuki wondered if that was what started his inability to sleep well in a bed on his own. Then again he could think of a few other things that could easily have attributed to his insomnia.

But something about that boy struck another chord in Yuki's memory but he couldn't think of what it was. He lay there with his eyes closed thinking about it for a long time, even when the sky had gone a dark purple and the first few stars had started twinkling high above.

"Hello _princess_," said a deep voice and Yuki's eyes immediately flew open in fear. Above him stood the three boys from before, their leering faces looking pallid and frightening in the half light.

"What do you want?" asked Yuki, trying his best to sound brave.

"You," hissed one of the boys and all three launched at him and yanked him off the ground. While the biggest of the boys restrained Yuki's flailing limbs, another blindfolded him and the ringleader stuffed a gag in his mouth, his fingers lingering a little too long on Yuki's lips.

"You're coming with us," he hissed and the other two jeered as he hoisted Yuki over his shoulder, slapping his butt as if were some sort of prize. "Go Mogi!" chorused his followers.

He was carried like that for quite a while and by the time he was dumped on the ground his throat was hoarse from screaming. The blindfold was violently ripped from his face, knocking his wig off, but the gag was left in his mouth. The two lackeys tied his hands together unbearably tight around a metal bar and tied his legs to two separate poles on either side of him. From what he could see, he was in a narrow garden shed, probably somewhere in the remote parts of school, where no one would find them, quickly anyway. Sweat dripped down his face as he tried to kick free again. Memories began to surface again and tears threatened to fall any moment, even though he knew it would fuel their bloodlust.

"Yuki, I _can_ call you that right?" his breath stank like alcohol as he brought his face close to the boy. It was obvious that the whole lot of them were drunk, none of them could really stand up straight and they all had that stupid look on their face. Yuki's nose creased in disgust, which seemed to anger the boy a little. He took out a knife, much to Yuki's horror, and began slicing the corset, before ripping it off completely. Without it, the dress seemed to hang off Yuki, the sleeves drooping off his shoulders. This spurred them on so he started cutting little bits in the dress until it was hanging on by a thread. Yuki screamed and shouted with all his might but he knew it was hopeless. No one could possibly be able to hear him. All he could hope for was that someone had followed him from the Host Club to make sure he was OK.

They sliced off the last part of the dress and it fell away from his body, leaving him hanging there in just his underwear. The muscles in his thin arms were screaming in protest as they supported his weight.

The three leered again and Yuki tried again to break free so he could strangle them. They looked so foul as they stared at him as though he were a piece of meat. He hated them. He wanted them to die.

The leader came close and licked a trail down from Yuki's collar bone to his navel. A pit of disgust opened inside him. How dare they touch him like that?

"You know what I'm going to do? Pretty boy? I'm going to take this knife and I'm going to trace a line all down your middle. I'm going to mark you as mine and no one else is allowed to touch you. Got that?"

The other two sniggered as they left to stand guard outside, shutting the door behind them. The small area was engulfed in darkness and the ringleader chuckled darkly. A cold shiver went down Yuki's spine as he felt the cold metal of the knife bite into his skin. A frightened whimper escaped him and as soon as he saw the look on Mogi's face he wished it hadn't.

* * *

Author's Nonsensical Babbling: Hmm... A cliffie~ I'm wondering if I'm going to need to up the rating for this one... I'm not going to get graphic, but perhaps just be on the safe side...

And guys I am soooo sorry for the late, late, SUPER late update. Not that most people will care, but yeah, I'M SORRY!

Oh well. This story is quickly drawing to a close and it has definitely gone in a different direction than I had first thought. When I started writing this I never thought it would end up like this. But it hasn't finished yet, you never know what might happen around the corner. I hope Yuki can survive until the next chapter... I feel so bad putting him in a situation like this...

Reviews, comments, tips, constructive criticism and the odd piece of praise are all greatly welcomed! Flamers will be frowned upon most harshly.


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